Small Living Company: Providing Year-Round Heating and Cooling for a New Tiny Home Community
The Challenge
Small Living Company: Providing Year-Round Heating and Cooling for a New Tiny Home Community
The Small Living Company is developing a 62-acre "ecovillage." Housing in phase one of the development will include 24 trailer-mounted tiny homes. There are three different-sized models. Each is 8.5 feet wide with 16-, 24- and 32-foot-long units available. Each cabin is intended to be an investment property that the owners rent out for short-term stays.
The Small Living Company needed HVAC systems that could provide year-round heating and cooling for each unit. Given the tight quarters, the chosen system would need to have a small footprint, be extremely quiet and run on 110 volts.
The intention is for the units to stay on site, but owners would have the option to move them. So, the HVAC equipment needed to be roadworthy.
"We really wanted to find a heating and cooling solution that kept people super comfortable but was also very quiet." Aaron Markel, Founder of The Small Living Company
The Solution
Small Living Company founder Aaron Markel had previously run an HVAC company and was familiar with Mitsubishi Electric Canada products. He knew that air-source heat pumps would likely be the best option but, due to small space, the units had to run on 110 volts. After doing some research, he realized that Mitsubishi Electric offered the only solution that met all of his criteria.
For the outdoor units (24 in total), he selected the MUZ-JP12WA-U1. These were paired with the MSZ-JP12WA-U1 indoor units.
The Results
The heat pumps met all the criteria Markel was looking for. They were small, quiet, energy efficient and provided four-season temperature control. Plus, with the outdoor unit mounted at the back of the cabin, they could be safely transported if the owner wanted to take it on a road trip.
"I make a point to sleep overnight in each one of the units before we hand them over and they all work great. The owners and renters have been happy with the comfort level." Aaron Markel, Founder of The Small Living Company
Summary
Client: The Small Living Company
Location: Hammond, Ontario
Engineering consultant: Dustin Design & Drafting
Contracting firm: Aim Project Management
Challenge: The client needed an HVAC system for a set of tiny houses intended for year-round living. The equipment needed to be small and extremely quiet.
Key criteria:
- 110-volt system
- Provide heating and cooling
- Energy efficient
- Small footprint
- Quiet
Solution: The client selected 24 sets of MSZ-JP12WA-U1 indoor units paired with MUZ-JP12WA-U1 outdoor units.
Results: Complete customer satisfaction.
Frequently Asked Questions
What HVAC features are important for a tiny home?
A tiny home HVAC system should fit limited space while providing efficient year-round heating and cooling. Quiet operation is also important because the equipment is close to living and sleeping areas.
Can a 110-volt heat pump provide heating and cooling for a tiny home?
Some heat pump systems are designed to operate on 110 volts and provide four-season temperature control. In this project, 110-volt Mitsubishi Electric air-source heat pumps were selected for 24 tiny homes.
What should be considered when selecting HVAC for a movable tiny home?
In addition to efficiency and comfort, the equipment should have a compact footprint, operate quietly and be installed so the home can be transported safely when required. These were key criteria for the Small Living Company project.